Should the education system be shortened?

[JudasMaiden]

Elementary, Middle, and High School is so fucking long, K-12, 12 1/2 years for fuck's sake here in the United States. That is so many years to take away from our childhood/youth, they barely teach you necessary jack shit in school other than language arts and basic math skills. And what do you get at the end of all these long unnecessary wasted years? Nothing but a worthless piece of fucking shit paper. They say they are going to fix it, but throwing money at it doesn't fix it. I think the real problem is how long the education system is and how they teach you so much unnecessary bullshit. I asked my 7th period teacher if the education system should be shortened even just a little bit, but she stated this only "No, because you would be dumb". Some of my fellow classmates agreed with her. :mad:

So do you think that the education system should be shortened? How many years do you think should the education system be shortened? What should be done about the education system?

I personally think that besides Language arts and basic math skills, the education system should be voluntary for the most part. You don't need to learn how to play instruments, how to paint a complex picture and other unnecessary stupid bullshit.

I'm sorry if I excessively sweared, but I am so pissed off right now after so much fucking work from school from the past two weeks of school. I couldn't sleep until late at night because of school and that sometimes from all the "hard" work at school, I fall asleep literally before 7:00 PM and wake up at 5:00 AM in the morning. I'm so fucking furious right now.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Voluntary education. Yes, because 6,8, 10 and 12 year olds are capable of making such choices. It would be a disaster.

The problem in society is that education teaches us to be obedient little workers, and at the end of it there is normally some shitty job, or no job.

The problem isn't education itself, as a concept. The problem is that it is geared towards the society we live in. Change the society, and education can flourish. People can stay in education as long as they want, education can become less rigid, less formalised.

But shortening formal education now? I don't think that will solve any problems. The problem is capitalism, not education. Knowledge is power, I truly believe that. It worked for me.

[Lily Briscoe]

I hated school so, so much. I quit showing up to class regularly when I was 15 or 16 (a 0.43 GPA as I recall--I may have held some sort of record hah). Now I have a job that consists of driving up and down the interstate over and over again for way longer hours than school ever was, and the idea of complaining about being made to endure free music lessons or painting a picture during the day makes me want to bang my head against the wall so hard. Which isn't meant as a "stay in school" lecture or to minimize your feelings; just trying to offer a bit of perspective.

[Blake's Baby]

Scandinavian countries don't usually start kids at school until 6 or 7, apparently. Maybe that would help.

[DasFapital]

I think schooling in the US would improve for a lot of kids if they got rid of the bullshit jock culture. That is what I always hated about it. Also it could be year round so the curriculum would be less rushed

[Invader Zim]

Which education system? Different education systems globally have different demands.

But I think that the OP has a point when looking at older young people. In the UK the Conservative led government, in a very cynical move, is increasing compulsory education from the age of 16 to 18. This is clearly to massage the staggering youth unemployment figures, by keeping more young people in school - thus allowing them to claim a reduction in unemployment. Of course, the problem with this is that it keeps people, with no inclination or desire to remain in education in a system which, for many of them, has little if any benefit for them or their class mates and contributes to the further overcrowding of schools.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Some good points made above.

There's been a LOT of research that suggests starting school in the UK a year or two later, so at 6 or 7, would increase attainment across the board, because at a very young age, play and child-led learning is incredibly important, as is 'socialisation'.

And very clearly, the move to increase compulsory education in the UK from 16 to 18 is, as Invader Zim says, a move to further massage the already very much massaged unemployment figures. They are already so inaccurate as to be useless (check it out yourself - type 'economically inactive UK' into google, it runs into the millions yet still doesn't count on the 'official unemployment' list as it's the long-term unemployed and disabled).

Having said that, i'd say it's the right move done for the wrong reasons. Everyone knows that the Tories and Lib Dems just don't give a shit about the educational needs of young people. But actually keeping people in education for longer is a historically progressive move, if taken by itself. As I said above, the problem is that in the capitalist system, education often doesn't serve a progressive, useful purpose. But education, taken in and for itself, is one of the most powerful tools for human progression we have. If we in the education system can work with this change to more compulsory education at A Level and devise interesting and stimulating curricula, then we may be able to turn this shit around, so to speak. It's probably going to be difficult, because the engagement of students who are forced to stay on vs the engagement of students making a positive choice to stay in school and do a subject is noticeable, but it's not a totally impossible task. In the long-run it might work out.